Diversity and Inclusion

One of PPG’s greatest strengths is the diversity of our people, who represent wide-ranging nationalities, cultures, languages, religions, ethnicities, lifestyles and professional and educational backgrounds. Their unique perspectives enable us to meet challenges quickly, creatively and effectively, providing a significant competitive advantage in today’s global economy.

25%of PPG’s workforce are females

23%of PPG’s management positions are held by females. We define management as an employee with at least one direct report

To ensure our people feel valued and respected, we are committed to providing a workplace that embraces a culture of diversity and inclusion. To underscore this commitment, our chief executive officer signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ pledge in 2017. He joined more than 150 CEOs from some of the world’s leading companies in committing to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Our business and functional leaders set goals related to diversity and monitor progress on a regular basis. We also recruit at events sponsored by organizations representing diverse candidates, such as the National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and National Black MBA Association.

Consisting of senior leaders within our company, our Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (DILC) champions, directs and facilitates initiatives that embed diversity and inclusion into our culture. The DILC is supported in its efforts by the following diversity councils:

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Council, which includes PPG Allies who are straight colleagues committed to improving the workplace climate for their LGBT coworkers;

R&D Diversity Council;

Generational Diversity Council; and

Young Professionals Organization.

In 2017, we received a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality. Our efforts in satisfying all of CEI’s criteria resulted in the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.

EducationCement and lipstick

Our RENNER® Paints team in Brazil helped Women in Construction increase the independence of females who are vulnerable to domestic violence and poverty through the nonprofit’s Cement & Lipstick workshop.

Participants in the free event received training on entrepreneurship, women’s rights and empowerment. They also gained skills such as sanding, repairing and painting by revitalizing a portion of Women in Construction’s headquarters using products donated by Renner Paints.

Renner Paints has trained more than 3,000 painters, including many women, since 2016.

EducationThe hunt for multi-generational interaction

Using clues based on PPG history, teams of up to three employees of varying ages embarked on a scavenger hunt at our Coatings Innovation Center outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to increase multi-generational interaction. The event was sponsored by the R&D Diversity Council.

Younger employees relied on their more experienced colleagues and the onsite library to solve each clue, such as “This person is on the original patent for PPG NUPAL® chrome-free pretreatment.” The 10 clues led teams to a specific area or person, where they received a puzzle piece to complete a final puzzle that revealed a bonus question. The first team that finished received PPG merchandise.

Supplier Diversity

We believe that our company and communities benefit when we provide equal opportunities for diverse suppliers to compete for our business. As such, we actively seek small businesses and businesses owned by veterans, minorities and women that provide quality products and services at competitive prices.

People

Growing STEM role models

What happens when an engineer, a chemist and a development engineer walk into a room? They serve as role models to help energize girls to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In early 2017, three female PPG scientists participated in the SCIGIRLS® Role Modeling Workshop, which helped Girl Scout troop leaders learn STEM-based practices to better engage with and encourage their troop members. The half-day event included networking, coaching, a STEM-based activity and a panel discussion with PPG women.

Clothing drive puts women on road to success

Through the efforts of our Women’s Leadership Council, more than 4,600 pieces of gently used professional attire found their way into the closets of women in need to help them secure employment and gain economic independence. The donation resulted from a 2017 global clothing drive across more than 45 PPG locations for the nonprofit Dress for Success.

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, seven PPG volunteers also participated in a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES™ project to brighten the local Dress for Success site using PPG-donated paint and supplies.

Pride Fest

More than 125 PPG employees, friends and family members participated in 2017 Pride Fest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to show support for and empowerment of LGBTQ employees. Many of our top leaders, including our chairman and CEO, marched in the festival’s Pride Parade. PPG was an official sponsor of the event.

Diversifying the talent pipeline

A college internship program in our Australia and New Zealand operations not only strengthens the talent pipeline but also promotes gender diversity across all disciplines.

The group of female and male interns in the 2017-2018 session focused on business-critical projects related to their areas of study in maintenance, engineering, or research and development. They applied theory in a practical setting and polished their business acumen and project management and presentation skills. They also had opportunities to meet with our key business leaders and major customers.

The making of diversity heroes

They came as employees but left as diversity heroes. More than 60 women and men participated in the Be a Diversity Hero event sponsored by our Women’s Leadership Council in October 2017, in Bochum, Germany. The event kicked off the council’s efforts to raise awareness of gender diversity in our German operations.

Workshops and panel discussions throughout the day-long event covered positive influences for women, career management, work-life balance, unconscious bias and the business case for gender balance.

Coalition connects veterans with employers

As a founding member of the Pittsburgh Veteran Employer Coalition, PPG is helping develop a U.S. model to connect highly skilled veterans with employers who need top talent in today’s ever tightening labor market.

Launched in September 2017, the coalition of 20 Pittsburgh companies and five universities is undertaking a 20-month project to develop the model, best practices toolkit and governance plan. The completed model will be piloted with Pittsburgh employers.

ABC, Aerocron, Amercoat, Aquabase, Coraflon, Deltron, Duranar, Envirobase, Global Refinish System, Green Logic, Nexa Autocolor, 2K, the PPG Logo, PSX, Sigmadur, Solarban, and Starphire are registered trademarks and Colorful Communities, Nutrishield, Performaloc, Powercron Advantedge, Solitsta, Starphire Ultra-Clear and Versabond are trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. Comex is a registered trademark of Consorcio Comex, S.A. de C.V. Master’s Mark is a registered trademark of PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. Dulux is a registered trademark of AkzoNobel and is licensed to PPG Architectural Coatings Canada, Inc. for use in Canada only. Responsible Care® is a registered service mark of the American Chemistry Council, Inc. Coatings Care is a registered trademark of the American Coatings Association, Inc. Good Housekeeping and the GH Limited Warranty Seal are registered trademarks of Hearst Communications, Inc. ENERGY STAR is a registered trademark owned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. LEED is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council. BREEAM is a registered trademark of the Building Research Establishment Limited. Science Buddies, National Society of Black Engineers, NSBE, Dress for Success and other third-party marks are property of their respective owners.